Assessment in Student Affairs: Campus Life Programs Dan Bureau Mahauganee Shaw

Positioning Assessment in Student Affairs Assessment – The ongoing, systematic process of collecting, analyzing, and using information about divisional, departmental, and programmatic effectiveness, in order to improve student learning (Upcraft & Schuh, 1996; Anderson, Bresciani, & Zelna, 2004).

The Assessment Cycle in Student Affairs Work

ReflectCreateEnactAssessModify/Plan

It’s about being intentional, forward thinking and responsive all at the same time. It’s about positioning ourselves as educators who work with students outside the classroom It’s about shifting the focus from hoping they learn to expecting that they will learn

What are students learning? Assessing Learning – Determined outcomes – Student’s own perceptions EBI CAS Student Learning and Development Domains Student Voice – Student Unions and Activities Evaluation NSSE ACUI Assessment Toolkit Home grown

What are the outcomes of involvement in student union events, programs and activities? Assess outcomes of engagement – Besides “learning,” what should they be able to do? – Student leaders, those involved and those who benefit from participation in programs Student Voice EBI NSSE Focus Groups Basic work: what can you report from your interactions with students over the span of time?

To what extent are students satisfied? Assessing satisfaction – Overall campus perceptions of your programs. – Perceptions of specific groups of students. NSSE EBI Home grown Focus groups

To what extent are operations efficient? Assessing efficiency and operational effectiveness – What aspects can different functional areas improve upon? – Are there best practices that your institution can mirror/implement? CAS Standards ACUInfo Student Voice – Coming soon – (operational, size of facilities, funding, services, etc.) Interviews with colleagues Professional immersion experience – why not?

To what extent is our staff competent? Assessing professional competence – Professional development opportunities (in-house, regional, national) ACUI Core Competencies Staff Evaluations Student Evaluations of Staff College Union and Student Activities Evaluation Program

CUSA Benefits Gain a peer-to-peer review of an institution’s college union and student activities operation Develop perspective and appreciate the value of an institution’s college union and student activities program, services, and operations Assess levels of customer satisfaction Conduct a detailed analysis of areas responsible for delivering high- quality and customer-friendly programs, services, and facilities Influence the future direction of the organization

Diverse Approaches Quantitative – Surveys – Evaluations Qualitative – Open-ended surveys – Focus Groups – Interviews – Meetings with students – Observations

Make it a part of your work If you don’t like assessment, find someone who does to help you Reframe your role – Educator – Cycle of assessment – Reflection Revisit your current work – Track your time – What can you remove? Revise? Think like an assessment person – Interactions with students – Interactions with colleagues